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States · California

California EVV and Medicaid home care, in plain words.

California has several home care programs, each run a bit differently. IHSS is the biggest, but workers are hired by the person getting care, not usually by an agency. Agencies more often serve the HCBA Waiver, MSSP, regional center programs or Medi-Cal plans.

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California at a glance

EVV, Medicaid and billing in California.

Medicaid agencyDepartment of Health Care Services (DHCS) runs Medi-Cal. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is run by the Department of Social Services (CDSS) and counties. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) runs developmental disability waivers; the Department of Aging (CDA) runs MSSP.
EVV modelOpen. DHCS: ’CalEVV will follow the Open Vendor EVV approach that will allow providers to choose between the State’s EVV solution or an Alt EVV solution.’
State EVV systemCalEVV, a state-sponsored system DHCS contracted to Sandata Technologies, LLC. IHSS and waiver personal care use CDSS’s CMIPS system instead.
Your own EVV vendor allowed?Yes. The alternate system must meet CalEVV requirements; agencies still register in the CalEVV portal and complete Sandata training.
Services that need EVVPersonal care since January 1, 2022 and home health since January 1, 2023, across DDS waivers and 1915(i), the HCBA Waiver, DHCS home health, MSSP and the HIV/AIDS waiver. IHSS uses CMIPS.
Where you billMedi-Cal fee-for-service claims through DHCS (Medi-Cal provider portal); managed care plans for their members; IHSS paid by counties through CMIPS.

Dates that matter: Personal care: January 1, 2022. Home health: January 1, 2023.

Licensing: Non-medical home care agencies need a Home Care Organization license from CDSS (Home Care Services Bureau). Home health agencies are licensed by the California Department of Public Health.

Managed care: Mixed. Medi-Cal managed care plans (which differ by county) cover CBAS and many members; IHSS, HCBA and DDS services run outside the plans. Check each program.

Programs that pay for care at home

California EVV, from the state

Same rules, same tangle

In California, the visit still gets typed four more times.

The caregiver taps in. The visit goes to CalEVV. Then someone in your office carries it by hand into payroll, into billing, into the chart, and to the family on the phone. Every carry is a chance for the numbers to drift. When they do, California denies the claim, and you find out weeks later. That is Tangleware™: good tools, and an owner in the middle.

How one tap at the door runs the whole agencyThe mechanism, the nine agents, and Cary®

CareBravo® in California

Running an agency in California? Tell us.

CareBravo works with the EVV systems states use, including Sandata, HHAeXchange and Netsmart. Each state approves its own connection, and each program has its own rules, so we confirm what is in place for California and your programs before you switch anything. If we are not running in California yet, we will make you an offer to start now while we build it.

Run the Calculator, or ask for the demo and tell us your state.

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Five promises, written like promises.

  1. Nothing stops. Your current system keeps running while CareBravo runs beside it for two weeks on your real data. The Parallel Promise™
  2. 99%, in writing. On Managed Billing, at least 99% of your claims go out without a mistake we caused. If we make one, we fix it free. We cannot promise what a payer decides. Read the guarantee
  3. The floor, stated up front: $250 a month, no seats, no per-user fees, no implementation fee — and corrections never billed twice.
  4. Thirty days’ notice, either way.
  5. Nobody calls unless you ask.

What California owners ask.

Can my agency get paid through IHSS?

Usually not as the employer of record. In IHSS, the person getting care hires and directs their own worker, and the county pays that worker. Agencies more often serve the HCBA Waiver, MSSP, regional center programs or Medi-Cal plan members. Check each program’s rules before building your plan around it.

Do I have to use CalEVV?

No. California uses an open approach. You can use the state’s CalEVV system or your own EVV system if it meets CalEVV rules. Either way, you register in the CalEVV portal and complete the Sandata training. Questions go to DHCS at EVV@dhcs.ca.gov.

Which services need EVV?

Personal care has needed EVV since January 1, 2022, and home health since January 1, 2023. That covers the HCBA Waiver, regional center programs, DHCS home health, MSSP and the HIV/AIDS waiver. Each visit needs the service, person, date, place, worker, and start and end times.

What license do I need for non-medical home care?

A Home Care Organization license from the California Department of Social Services, Home Care Services Bureau. If you provide skilled home health, that license comes from the California Department of Public Health. Medi-Cal enrollment and plan contracts come after licensing.

Sources for this guide

Checked 28 Oct 2026. State rules change. Confirm with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) runs Medi-Cal. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is run by the Department of Social Services (CDSS) and counties. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) runs developmental disability waivers; the Department of Aging (CDA) runs MSSP. before you act.

You take the bravo. We take the work.

Find out what the tangle costs your agency.

Four minutes. Works for any California agency today.

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We email you the highlights the moment you ask. No call. Nobody calls unless you ask.

See What’s Draining Your Agency →View the demo